About Capacity 2 Change (Revised)

Decisions made by child protection practitioners to safeguard children typically begin by estimating the extent to which a child is at risk of harm. If it is estimated that the probability of harm is high, a course of action is seen to be justified (for example, removing a child from their family). This approach to decision-making falls within what has been referred to as the "Predict and Act" paradigm.

In the latter stages of assessment, the emphasis shifts to the long-term needs and placement options of a child. These decisions are made under conditions of high uncertainty in which estimates of risk are unreliable and prone to error.

An alternative approach to decision-making under conditions of high uncertainty is the "Monitor and Adapt" paradigm. This approach considers a wide range of plausible future outcomes (scenarios) that could unfold. These scenarios are used to "stress test" a service response (e.g., a family support plan). A robust plan is one that would achieve a desired outcome under a wider range of scenarios.

The C2C-Revised model of decision-making transitions decision-making from a "Predict and Act" approach (aimed at managing risk) to a "Monitor and Adapt" approach (aimed at managing high levels of uncertainty).